City of Cleveland punishes good Samaritan

Fox 8 in Cleveland is reporting that a man who stopped to give a homeless man a dollar bill was ticketed for littering and has appeared in court.

A police officer issued a $344 ticket to Cleveland resident John Davis for littering after he dropped dollar bills to a disabled person on a sidewalk. The court costs could bring the total fine up to as much as $500, in addition to attorney fees and missed work time.

Davis is attempting to fight the ticket because he believes that his helpful intent was clear. Davis “never thought that a couple dollars could turn into a couple hundred dollars.”

Strict littering laws have been put in place in several major urban areas in an attempt to crack down on trash. Cleveland’s regulations clearly allow little room for flexibility.